Organization strikes again. Passport, Credit Cards, Cash, and keys to our locks and suitcases, plus a pen for immigration forms. Muji makes some of the handiest travel accessories on the market.

Services

Transportation

The majority of my traveling comes from local buses, and if available I take trains. When I have to fly, my first stop without question is Skyscanner. Then after I find out which airline has the best price, I book direct with their website. Right before I pay, I usually double check Expedia. When I’m in the U.S., I add one additional step and check Southwest; because they are excluded from searches.

Lodging

I always try and book with Expedia first, because they have a pretty good rewards program. After that I check Booking. If I’m staying in the same place for a week or longer, I will check Airbnb (Earn a $40 credit with this link and your first stay). Some listings will give a discount for 7 days or longer, which is a good way to offset the cleaning fee. And of course don’t forget to check Couchsurfing from time to time; after all, they even have listings in the Galapagos.

Information

Admittedly Lonely Planet is one of my most used resources, and I use Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited to borrow all of them that I need. I also like to read a lot of travel blogs. Ocassionally I go to Wikitravel, but they tend to be outdated, so mostly it is a jumping off point for Google research.

Financial

When it comes to banking there is one place that is a travelers best friend, Charles Schwab. Their debit card comes with a Chip + PIN, no foreign transaction fees, and all ATM charges are refunded; best bank ever. As for travel credit cards my two favorite are the CapitalOne Venture card and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. These are both great cards and of course have zero foreign transaction and convertion fees, plus you earn points to earase any kind of travel charge. I also check in with The Points Guy and Nerd Wallet from time to time to read the latest.

*Full disclosure, I’m a member of the Amazon affiliate program.

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Welcome to Travelationship, an Eco-Friendly Travel Blog. We have traveled to 66 countries on six continents, and are here to share our experiences with you